Age on his side, Gurgaon hopes for change from new DC

Vinay Pratap Singh, the 29-year-old Gurgaon deputy commissioner, is among the youngest DCs in Haryana

Vinay Pratap Singh, newly appointed as the deputy commissioner of Gurgaon, is all of 29 years.(Sanjeev Kumar/HT File Photo)

At 29 years, IAS officer Vinay Pratap Singh is one of the youngest deputy commissioners (DCs) in the state. With his appointment as DC of Gurgaon this week, city residents are hoping for a solution to long-pending issues such as potholed roads, waterlogging during monsoon, harassment of homebuyers by builders and traffic congestion. Apart from his age, his familiarity with Gurgaon is also in his favour as he has been the additional DC of Gurgaon for almost three years.

Singh too acknowledged the residents’ expectations due to his experience with the city since November 21, 2014, when he joined as ADC.

Hailing from Faridabad, Singh graduated from the Birla Institute of Technology (BITS) in Pilani, Rajasthan, with a B Tech in electronics. In 2011, he cleared the civil services examinations and after nearly six and a half years of service, the state government promoted him to DC of Gurgaon.

“There is no doubt that he is young and dynamic. The real challenge is before him now and we hope he does not disappoint us. However, I would also add that the DC alone cannot change a lot unless the state government allows him to act. We are hoping that the new DC brings relief to homebuyers who are being harassed by developers in Gurgaon, but only time will tell,” said Shephalika Sharma, vice president, Federation of apartment owners’ association, Gurgaon.

Another resident, Shashi Kant Sharma of Sector 5, said, “The plan to connect the city with the metro network and removal of Kherki Daula toll are stuck in a political tangle. We hope the new DC resolves these issues.”

Last year, there was massive waterlogging at Hero Honda Chowk during the monsoon. The reason for this was that the main Badshahpur drain is too narrow at Khandsa to drain out rainwater timely and failed the city in the excessive rain in July last year. While efforts have been underway to widen the drain at Khandsa, every successive DC has failed to resolve it till date.

Similarly, completion of the city’s two peripheral roads (SPR and NPR) is stuck in litigation, also delaying work on other infrastructure projects and development in the areas along these two roads. The city also does not have solid waste management system, a master plan to harvest rainwater, and the renewable energy plan is still in its initial stages due to low enforcement.

Assuring that he will connect with people actively through social media to get a better understanding of their problems and their solutions, Singh sad, “I will fulfil the expectations of the residents and the state government.”